Manchester City not interested in Chelsea target as brother arrives in England – report

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport has today shot down reports from the Sunday Mirror that Pep Guardiola is planning to hijack Chelsea’s deal to sign Antonio Rüdiger from Roma.

The Germany internationa’s brother and agent Sahr Senesie is in England and was at Manchester Airport, which of course could lead to speculation that 24-year-old Rüdiger is heading to Manchester City and not Chelsea.

However, it seems he was catching a connecting flight to London where he is expected to play his part in closing a deal worth up to €38million for Rüdiger, who only cost €9million when Roma signed him from VfB Stuttgart last summer.

The famous Italian sports newspaper says the word from Trigoria is that reports of City’s interest in hijacking Chelsea’s deal are ‘not credible’ and wide of the mark.

The Citizens have shown interest in Rüdiger this year, as reported by several sources including Sky Germany, but despite Guardiola being in the hunt for a new centre-back, it does not seem to be Rüdiger.

Rüdiger is expected to undergo his medical at Chelsea this week after Antonio Conte decided on him as a cheaper alternative to Virgil van Dijk and Leonardo Bonucci, two expensive defenders also linked with Man City in recent times.